Fullerenes were first discovered by Harry Kroto in the 1970s, a feat for which he and his colleagues received a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Recently, they have been found in winds emitted by red giants and in interstellar medium.

A research team has realized strong coupling between distant phonon modes, by introducing a third resonator as a phonon cavity mode. Varying the resonant frequency of the phonon cavity mode, the coupling strength between distant phonon modes can be continuous tuned.

Topological insulators are a fascinating group of materials. A spin-polarization occurs, as soon as an electric current flows in the material. Scientists have measured this now for the first time optically at room temperature.